Manhattan Beach Middle, High Schools To Reopen On Monday

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —Students from Manhattan Beach Middle School and Mira Costa High School will be returning to an in-person hybrid program this Monday, March 29.

Last Friday, the District and Manhattan Beach Unified Teachers Union reached an agreement, signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that paved the way for students and employees to return to school for in-person instruction, according to Dr. Michael D. Matthews, MBUSD superintendent.

Students from MBMC and MCHS will be divided into three groups. Team 1 and Team 2 will be attending in-person classes two days a week, and the third group will be comprised of students who have chosen to remain in distance learning.

For the week of March 29, students will be attending just one period a day for one or two days that week. "I know the single period will be a hassle for some families in terms of transportation, and I’m sorry," Matthews wrote in an email to parents. "It is just one or two days, and it will help us tremendously."

Matthews says the initial abbreviated schedule will be utilized as a learning process for teachers and staff to "develop a plan that follows the guidelines, implement the plan and the protocols that keep our students and employees safe, then move forward to the next new set of rules," he told Patch. "Throughout this process, we have taken small steps at first, as we can learn from those as we move to implement our in-person schedules more fully."

On April 12, the Monday following Spring Break, the schedule will move to a three-period day, two days a week. According to the district website, "Team 1 will attend in-person on Monday (Periods 1-3-5) and Tuesday (2-4-6), and Team 2 will have the same schedule on Thursday and Friday. Students will attend from 8:30 to 11:50 (MCHS) or 8:30 to 11:20 (MBMS) and will see three different classrooms and groups of students on each day they attend."

For those students who remain in distance learning, Matthews says that teachers will either simulcast–teaching concurrently to distance learning students–or they will provide their instruction during specified afternoon times.

Matthews assures parents that the district will adhere to strict COVID safety procedures. "When this plan was developed, we used the same guidelines we have been using in all of our returns–masks for all at all times, screening processes, contact tracing protocols, six feet of distance, and more," he said. "In the March 31, 2021 board meeting, we will be discussing the newly released three-foot guidelines and how those can impact our in-person plans."

Matthews is looking forward to the students' return. "Every one of our openings has brought smiles to the faces of the students who are coming back, the teaches and staff who are there, and the students’ parents," he said. "It doesn’t get much better than that. I can’t wait to see our MBMS and MCHS students return to campus.

According to Matthews, there are a lot of people who have made the schools' reopening possible. "Our food services, maintenance and operations, and nurses and health assistants teams have been the backbone of all of our openings," he said. "We have learned so much from our safe openings in preschool, child care, athletics, special education, and grades TK-6. I thank all of the employees who have helped us to smoothly and safely open our programs and positively impact thousands of MBUSD students. On Monday we take the next step!"

The district's grades TK-6 reopened in February.

For more information on MBMS and MCHS schedules during the weeks of March 29 and April 12, parents are directed to the district website.